Semiconvertible car.



'No.884,788. 'PATENTED APR.14,1908. W. s. WRIGHT.

SEMI CONVERTIBLE GAR.

APPLICATION nun NOV. 7. 1906.

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PATEN-TED APR. 14, 1908. W. S. WRIGHT. SEMI CONVERTIBLE OAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOT 7. 1906.

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W. s. WRIGHT. SEMIOONVBRTIBLE OAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1906.

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WILLIAM S. WRIGHT, OF NEWARK, OHIO.

SEMICONVERTIB LE GAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM S. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Newark, county of Licking, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Semiconvertible Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in semi-convertible street cars for use in summer and winter and particularly to that type in which the car is converted from a closed to an open structure and vice versa by the relative positioning of the windows on either side thereof in their closed or open positions.

The invention aims primarily to provide a car of the above type embodying upper and lower window sashes, in connection with which novel means are provided for permitting said sashes to be raised and lowered in their respective movements to a maximum degree not obtainable in the structures of the type now employed for the purpose set forth, in converting the car to the open type foruse in warm weather.

The invention specifically resides in the provision of vertical side bars overhanging the frame sills and a lower horizontal panel coacting with said bars to afford pockets having their bases below the level of the floor and into which the lower sashes are dropped in converting the car into an open structure. Novel means are further provided for guarding said pockets against the entrance thereinto of extraneous matter.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a series of vertically arranged pockets adjacent to the arcuate advertising panel, said pockets extending to the roof of the car and permitting of a greater degree of upward movement than in the car now used.

The detailed construction will appear in the course of the following description in which reference is had to accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, like numerals designating like parts throughout the several views, wherein Figure 1 is a car constructed in accordance with my invention, and showing said car in both its closed and open arrangement. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and illustrating the sashes in their closed position. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and illustrating the sashes in their opened posi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 7, 1906.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Serial No. 342,433.

tion', and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the lower frame of the car showing the arrangement and relation of the side bars thereto.

The car frame A is provided on each side thereof with the usual longitudinal sills 1, upon which the floor is secured. Secured to said sills are vertically extending side bars 2 which form a frame or skeleton for the superstructure and which project or overhang said sills as is illustrated in Fig. 1.

Slidably disposed between the side bars 2 are the upper sashes 3 and the lower sashes 1. The sashes 3 have movement in vertical grooves 5 provided therefor which extend to the top of the side bars adjacent to the arcuate advertising panel B. A longitudinal horizontal panel 6 is provided adjacent to said grooves 5 and is coextensive therewith. The pane l6 forms a depending part of the roof and serves to conceal the major portion of the sash 3 when the latter has been raised to the limit of its upward movement.

The interior side walls of the car, designated generally by the numeral 7, coact with exterior panels, forming the outer wall of the car to provide a pocket for the reception of the lower sash 4. .Said outer wall comprises an upper longitudinal panel 8 and a lower longitudinal panel 9, the panels 8 and 9 being arranged in superposed relation and connected by longitudinal mortise-key 10.

The panel 8 is provided along its upper edge with a shelf or ledge 11 upon which the lower sash rests in its closed or uppermost osition. The space occurring between the edge 11 and the interior wall 7 forms the mouth for the pocket afforded between said outer and interior walls, and said mouth is normally closedby a lid 12, which is hinged, as at 13, to said ledge so as to be capable of an outward swinging movement. The base of said pocket is constituted of a longitudinal flat iron strip or plate 14 bolted or otherwise secured to the underside of the sill 1 and. to

the lower ends of the side bars or posts 2 and contacting with lower panel 9, the latter being preferably of steel for the purpose of reinforcing the structure. The plate 14 is formed with a longitudinal rib 15 having an inclined padded face which affords a seat for the sash 4, as is shown in Fig. 3, the latter having its lower edge beveled.

Each side bar 2 is provided on each side thereof with an enlarged vertical groove 16, having at its upper end a reduced extension 17 overlying and communicating with the groove 5, and at its lower end an elongated reduced extension 18 on the side opposite the extension 17 the extension 18 extending into said pockets and to the lower ends of said side bars 2. the groove 16 is provided with an inclined inner. edge 19 which merges with said extension for a purpose to be described.

As shown in Fig. 2, the sash 4 rests against the outer edge of the groove 16 and is supported in its uppermost or closed position by the ledge or shelf 11. hen it is desired to lower said sash, the finger piece'20 provided thereon is grasped and the sash is given an initial upward movement in the extension 17 and is then swung so that its lower portion moves inwardly and bears against the inner edge of the groove 16. In its swinging movement the sash 4 bears with its upper portion upon the inclined edge 19 of the groove 16 as a fulcrum. WVhen the lower portion of the sash 4 has thus been directed against the inner edge of the groove 16 so that it is alined with the extension 18, the lid 12 is raised as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and said sash is lowered and dropped into the pocket previously described, the walls of said extension serving as guides. The lid 12 is closed in both positions of the sash 4 so as to prevent the entrance of extraneous matter thereinto. Inasmuch as said lid swings outwardly it will be impossible for a person bent on mischief to open it when the sash 4 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, since the rear edge of said lid bears against said sash.

It is to be noted that the panel 9 extends to the lower edge of the sill 1 and that the base of the pocket afforded by the bar 14 is substantially flush with the lower edge of said sill. sash 4 can be dropped a distance below the level of the floor of the car equal to the vertical thickness of the sill 1. And by arranging the upper pocket to extend to the car roof the sash 3 may be raised to an unusual height. Consequently in theextreme relative positions of said sashes a maximum degree of space is aflorded, as is clearly shown at the right of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 3.

It will be noted that the panel 9, being made of steel, forms a protection to the car body, preventing injury to said body from forcible contact of the latter with wagons or other vehicles or objects, said panel being lo- Adjacent to the extension 17 By means of this arrangement the cated at the point most frequently engaged by such vehicles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A car comprising in its construction a sill, side-bars overhanging said sill, an inner wall, an outer wall spaced away from said sill and from said inner wall and extending to the lower edge of said sill, forming pockets which terminate at the lower edge of the sill, a removable plate mounted to close they lower ends of said pockets, a longitudinal rib carried by said plate and constituting a seat, hinged means for closing the upper ends of said pockets, and sashes slidably mounted between said side-bars, said sashes being designed to rest against said hinged means when upraised, preventing movement of the latter, and to be lowered within said pockets to rest upon said seat.

2. A car comprising in its construction a sill, side-bars overhanging said sill, an inner wall, an outer wall spaced away from said sill and fromsaid inner wall and extending to the lower edge of the sill, forming pockets which terminate at the lower edge of said sill, a removable plate mounted to close the lower ends of said pockets, a longitudinal rib having an inclined face carried by said plate, a hinged lid for closing the upper ends of said pockets, and sashes slidably mounted between said side-bars, said sashes being designed to rest against the hinged edges of said lids when upraised and to be lowered within said pockets upon the inclined face of said rib.

3. A car comprising in its construction a sill, side-bars overhanging said sill, an inner wall, an outer wall spaced away from said sill and extending to a point in a horizontal plane with the lower edge of the sill said side-bars, inner wall, sill and outer wall together constituting the side-walls of apocket a removable closure for the bottom of said pocket, said closure having a longitudinal laterally inclined seat, and a slidable sash 

